Annual Winter Sno-ballFund-raising dinner dance

Families First presents our 4th Annual Winter Snow-Ball Fundraising Dinner Dance on Saturday, January 26, 2013 from 6:00 pm to 12 am at the Blue Valley Farm Show building in Bangor, PA. Funds raised will help support the programs that serve children and families in the Pen Argyl School District and enable Families First to continue to offer free programs for children and youth, including mentoring programs at Wind Gap Middle School and Pen Argyl High School and the After-School Tutoring and Homework Assistance program at Wind Gap Middle School. Proceeds will also help support the various programs assisting senior citizens and families in need in the school district. Come out and enjoy music by Misbehaving, a popular local Slate Belt band, and a buffet dinner by Imperial Catering including baked chicken, macaroni & cheese, salad, vegetable, rolls, coffee, tea, soda and a large variety of home-baked desserts. There will be door prizes, a basket raffle and tricky tray. This is a BYOB event and dress is casual! Admission is $25.00 per person in advance and $30.00 at the Door. All proceeds help support Families First programs. For Tickets & additional information contact: Frank Jones -610-863-3688 or jones.frank@penargylsd.org

Pen Argyl Basketball Games Scheduled For Friday Will be Played Thursday

The Pen Argyl Junior Varsity and Varsity Girls Basketball Games vs. Northwestern and the Junior High, Junior Varsity Boys Basketball Games vs. Northwestern all originally scheduled for Friday, January 25 have been moved up a day and will now be played on Thursday, January 24 due to the pending inclement weather. The Junior and Varsity Girls Basketball games will be played at Northwestern with the Junior Varsity starting at 5:30 PM and Varsity at approximately 7:00 PM The Junior High, Junior Varsity and Varsity Boys games vs Northwestern will be played at Pen Argyl. The Junior High game will start at 4:00 PM, the Junior Varsity at 5:30 PM, and the Varsity at 7:00 PM.

Pius X - Pen Argyl Wrestling MatchChanged to Monday January 28

The Varsity wrestling match between Pen Argyl and Pius X scheduled for this Saturday January 26 has been changed to Monday Janaury 28 at 7:00pm at Pius X High School.

Scroll Down for.......

Real Time Stock Market (new)

NFL Football Poll

Gun Law Polls

Chimp Enjoys Ice Cream

Refrigerators Getting Smart

Boomers Find New Career Paths

Quiet Valley Living Historical FarmAnnounces 50th Year Anniversary

Quiet Valley announces the celebration in 2013 of the 50th Anniversary of the farm as a historic museum site. Please join us in the Engel Education Center on Friday, January 25 between the hours of 5:00pm and 7:30pm for an Opening Reception to kick-off this special yearlong celebration. Please RSVP at 570-992-6161 or farm@quietvalley.org. Many special activities are being planned in honor of this significant occasion with the biggest festivities taking place on the opening anniversary weekend of July 13 &14.

Bangor's Chandler Zungolo (23) dribbles upcourt, during the Slaters' 56-42 loss to Southern Lehigh in a game played Tuesday at Bangor.Sbtt Photo Kaitlyn McCollian

Bangor's Nicole Baker (20) fights for possession, during the Slaters' 56-42 loss to Southern Lehigh in a game played Tuesday at Bangor.Sbtt Photo Kaitlyn McCollian

Chimp Enjoys Ice Cream

This chimpaneze eats ice cream on a warm summer day in Rio de Janero last week.Photo: Reuters

Refrigerators getting smart

TORONTO (Reuters) - Refrigerators are getting smart. A new model released earlier this month runs apps to help users browse recipes, create shopping lists and manage the expiration dates of items like yogurt and milk.The T9000 refrigerator by electronics company Samsung has a 10-inch Wi-Fi-enabled touchscreen and includes apps such as Epicurious for recipes and Evernote for note-taking. "The fridge, because it's the hub of the family and the kitchen, is now another access point without having to drag around your tablet or have your phone with you in the vicinity of where you're cooking or entertaining," said Warner Doell, a vice president in the home appliance division at Samsung Canada. The display enables users to keep up with the news, weather and even Twitter from the fridge door. It can also replace hand-written calendars with Google Calendar integration, and run slideshows of photos, according to Doell. Shopping lists can be created on the fridge with the Evernote app, which will sync to smartphones and recipes can be found at Epicurious. "You can say, 'I have these ingredients in the fridge -- what can I make?' and it will show you recipes that you can prepare," said Doell. For people who have trouble keeping track of expiration dates of food items, there's an app for that, too. But with smartphones and tablets are already ubiquitous in homes, does the smart refrigerator offer more than novelty? Doell said it does. "I get asked a lot why do you need a screen on a refrigerator? And it's a good question because we're inundated with technology today," said Doell. The main reasons, he explained, are ease-of-use in managing settings, such as the refrigerators' temperature, and for convenience because consumers are demanding pervasive connectivity. "This isn't only about today -- it's about what will the next five to ten years look like," he added. The T9000 is geared towards the young-minded consumer who turns to technology for convenience, according to Doell. Whether it's to control heating, air conditioning, lighting or window coverings, Doell said that apps for home automation will be increasingly penetrating the home. "The technology is converging across all product categories. With appliances being the traditional staid industry, it has not been fast to adopt it," said Doell, adding that Samsung plans to take a leadership role in the area. The refrigerator runs the Android operating system, but it is not possible to install other Android apps. It will be available worldwide in the spring for a suggested retail price of $3,999

Boomers Finding New Career Paths

For many years, the average 50-something American looked forward to a leisure-based retirement. But as Americans are living longer and feeling younger, many are finding it necessary to remain professionally active beyond traditional retirement age -- forging new paths that supply both money and meaning. “Boomers are opting to stay in the game, or better, change the game by leaving a mark and making a difference,” says Marci Alboher, vice president of Encore.org, an organization helping people transition to the nonprofit world and public sector.While moving into a new kind of work is not always quick or easy, some experts say that middle-aged Americans are well-equipped to handle it. “With midlife comes a newfound capacity to tap into your accumulated experience and wisdom to accomplish new things you may have been unable to do earlier,” says Alboher, whose new book “The Encore Career Handbook,” is a comprehensive guide for anyone looking to make such a shift. Whether you’re looking to jump right in or make a plan first, here are some tips and things to consider:• Your new work may involve a trade-off. You may trade money for meaning and flexibility. You may trade power and influence for the chance to work more closely with people you can help.• Transitions will take longer than you think, so be patient.• Be prepared to face age discrimination. You can counter employer prejudices by ensuring your skills are up to snuff, especially when it comes to technology. Show you understand the job market today by having a great LinkedIn profile. Consider tailoring your resume to show your strengths as an adviser and mentor.• Don’t be discouraged by today’s tight job market. The nonprofit sector has added jobs over the past decade and our government’s need for highly skilled employees in a variety of sectors continues to grow. Between now and 2018, experts say that there may be as many as 1.7 million jobs available at all levels of government.• Instead of jobs, think about projects. Instead of thinking about what you want to do forever, think about what you want to work on for a year or two. Think about a series of engaging commitments with periodic gaps for a personal break, retraining or travel in between.• Rarely can you find and craft the job opportunity you want, simply by applying to job postings. Create your role through networking, volunteering and retooling for a new kind of work. Consider going solo as a freelancer, consultant or entrepreneur. For tips on making the most of this chapter of your life and work, visit www.encore.org. Don’t approach your mid-life and beyond with trepidation. With skills, experience and care, you can launch a successful new career that combines your passion with a paycheck.